Sigma Alpha Iota

PAN PIPES • WINTER 2018 • sai-national.org 6 MUSIC NOTES L ife experiences and musical experiences sometimes align to allow performers to find the most exquisite and satisfying collaborations. All musicians have choices that will define their experiences: choices based on their own personalities and motivations, and choices about which collaborators they want to work with artistically. ere are times that musicians do not have these choices – but they do have information. Following a particularly satisfying musical collaboration in 2016, soprano Jamie Reimer (Eta Nu '97) and pianist Stacie Haneline endeavored to find a systematic way to gauge the potential success of collaborative partnerships in a 2017 research study. "We wanted to know exactly why our collaboration was so satisfying – musically and personally," said Haneline. e study focused on the issues faced by singers and pianists in collaborative partnerships, and the personality considerations that may positively or negatively affect the musical relationship and, ultimately, the musical performance. rough the use of the personality factors espoused by the Meyers- Briggs personality profile, the researchers identified traits that predict the most satisfying partnerships. Specific questions addressed included: What are the characteristics of the best collaborative relationships? How may those characteristics be defined in order to identify the most compatible collaborative partners, as well as to maximize the collaborative experience with partners of all personality types. Additional issues of vulnerability in rehearsal and performance, intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, expectancy, and extrinsic value were also explored. Reimer and Haneline collected anonymous survey data from singers and pianists around the United States about their most satisfying collaborative partnerships. Survey questions addressed personality preferences in the respondent and the respondent's perception of their most collaborative relationship. Survey participants were selected from professional and academic settings, either by personal recommendation or professional reputation. e results of the survey, as well as suggestions for application, were presented at the 2017 International Symposium for Performance Science in Reykjavik, Iceland. Travel to this conference was made possible by an Alumnae Professional Development Grant from Sigma Alpha Iota Philanthropies, Inc. is presentation of initial research findings has launched a deeper study of personality factors in musical collaboration; the authors have been invited to present their findings at the National Association of Teachers of Singing national conference in Las Vegas and the Hawaii International STEAM Conference in Honolulu. "Musicians are oen asked to partner with collaborators they have just met – this research is designed to help navigate the potential pitfalls of different personality types in musical partnerships," said Reimer. Reimer and Haneline expect to publish an article on their findings in the next year. Dr. Jamie Reimer (Eta Nu '97) is Associate Professor of Voice at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln. She is the immediate past Region 3 RO and a recipient of the National Collegiate Leadership Award. Personality & Performer: Defining A Satisfying Collaborative Relationship At top, Dr. Jamie Reimer visited the Mýrdalsjökull Glacier and Katla Volcano while presenting in Iceland. Above, with pianist Stacie Haneline.

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